Young Alberta football rivals share traditional Cree smudge before kickoff
Prior to smashing and bashing each other in an all-female battle in Spruce Grove Thursday, linebacker Alicia Gladue led both teams in something rarely seen on a football field.
Before kickoff - Gladue, a young Cree and Dene woman from Northern Alberta - gathered all players and coaches in a circle, where she lit a traditional Indigenous smudge for both teams to share.
“I just bless my body. (With the smoke) I go over my head so I can think good things, go to my ears so I can hear good things, go to my mouth so I can say good things,” Gladue explained.
Gladue is a captain with the Fort McKay Northern Spirits, based in the First Nation community about an hour north of Fort McMurray.
Her team travelled to the Fuhr Sports Park west of Edmonton, for a game with the West Edmonton Raiders Thursday night.
“It’s gets my anger out. It’s good for my mental and physical health,” Gladue said of football.
And a smudge, she said, puts her in the right mind to compete.
“It could be a blessing, or it could be to let go of the negativity. I think it’s good to calm yourself with good vibes,” she explained.
'EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY PROUD'
The idea of sharing the smudge came after Raiders coach Ryan Schulha asked his opponents about a ceremony he saw at a game a few weeks earlier.
“They were extremely, extremely proud to extend an invitation to allow us to come and learn a little bit and join the smudge circle. I’m very excited to learn more about their culture and have football be that catalyst,” Schulha said.
A coach of both girls and boys teams, Schulha believes football leaders should always be striving to be more inclusive. He called Thursday’s ceremony an “opportunity” for his players to learn and grow respect for Indigenous people.
“Do we have a long way to go? Yeah. We know that, but every little bit and every step forward helps.”
Northern Spirits coach Dylan Elias lets his players decide when and how to smudge, and was proud they chose to share with their opponents on Thursday.
“I think there’s been a lot of negativity in the news in the last couple of months especially around residential schools and missing and murdered Indigenous women,” Elias, who is Metis, said.
“So I think for the other team to reach out and want to be part of the ceremony, is really important for bringing people together, and if this thing is going to work we gotta come together as humans, and that’s what the sport of football does.”
Racism on the field is something Elias said his team has “felt” before but Thursday’s ceremony was a an important step.
The Northern Spirits are a new team, and with the closest field an hour away, it’s not an easy commitment. Elias said his girls are growing in pride, both in their play and in sharing their culture.
“After a football camp we had in 2019, there was a big push from the kids in the community. They wanted their own team.”
Feeling different on a football field is not new to Raiders running back Camryn Lauer. It’s a male-dominated sport, and inclusivity is still a work in progress, she said.
So Lauer was happy to take part in the smudge and learn more about her opponents.
“I will say it’s better just because we do get these opportunities, but there’s still more to work on. Being a female in the sport of football can be difficult sometimes, but it’s growing and it’s getting better,” Lauer said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.